The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder), and a sleep disorder. The claims are being remanded to allow for further examination and consideration.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the existing evidence is insufficient to determine whether the Veteran's conditions are related to service or preexisted service without aggravation.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back disability, Bilateral hearing loss, Tinnitus, Acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder), Sleep disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 1, 2019
- Citation
- 19159678
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19159678.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded to correct pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including the failure to obtain relevant treatment records and provide adequate VA examinations.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, as there was no evidence of a current disability in the right ear and insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the left ear hearing loss and service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to in-service noise exposure.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for a medical clarification regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected epilepsy has aggravated his bilateral hearing loss.
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